Following is a listing of executive and legislative action for the week beginning Jan. 1. Both houses of the General Assembly were in recess and were scheduled to return to session on Jan. 22.

Share with Email

sending now...

Thank you for sharing!

Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

Pennsylvania State Capitol. Photo credit: Zack Frank/Shutterstock.com

MEDICAL​ ​MARIJUANA

Gov. Tom Wolf on Jan. 4 announced the approval of Pennsylvania’s first medical marijuana dispensary. After receiving a green light from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Keystone Canna Remedies in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is set to begin providing cannabis to patients as soon as medical marijuana is available from approved growers.

Keystone Canna is owned by GuadCo LLC of Brooklyn, New York, which received a permit from the Wolf administration in June to operate in northeast Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley.

“This is tremendous news for patients and the people who care for them,” Wolf said in a statement. “We are one step closer to providing medical marijuana to patients with serious medical conditions who desperately need this medication. Once the growing process is completed and the dispensary receives medication, patients with medical marijuana identification cards will be able to purchase medication at Keystone Canna Remedies.” Keystone Canna Remedies will be able to sell medical marijuana to Pennsylvanians with medical marijuana identification cards once grower/processors begin distribution. The first medical marijuana products are expected to become available in four months, a Wolf administration press release said.

HEALTH​ ​CARE

Wolf on Jan. 3 joined state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Centre, to announce $4 million in funding to support the construction of a new health sciences building on the campus of Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology (CPI) in Bellefonte.

The new building is expected to enable the school to provide health care training for 150 additional adult students, helping to meet the need for more health care workers in central Pennsylvania, according to a statement from the Wolf administration.

“With this support, CPI will build a state-of-the-art educational facility to prepare students for good jobs providing the health care this community needs,” Wolf said in the statement.

Funds from the state Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program support the $16.1 million cost for CPI to build a 46,000-square-foot health science building. When complete, the press release said, the three-story building will include space for classrooms and labs, as well as a private partnership with a local health care provider on the ground floor to further expand local health care access.

“The expanded facility will allow CPI to meet the demand for highly-qualified health care professionals in our local community,” Corman said, stressing that the state investment will help meet local demand for high-quality education close to home.

Construction is set to begin later this year and is expected to be complete by the fall of 2020. The new building, which will create 30 full-time jobs, the press release said.

WELFARE​ ​REFORM

Republicans in the state House of Representatives unveiled a sweeping package of measures aimed at reshaping Pennsylvania public welfare programs.

“Citizens are demanding greater accountability for how their tax dollars are being spent,” Kaufer said. “Welfare expenditures have become one of the most expensive items in the state budget. The major challenge is to separate those who are truly needy and eligible for state assistance from those who are not and are taking advantage of taxpayers.”

Kaufer said he planned to sponsor a bill to establish a pilot program that encourages companies to hire individuals receiving welfare. It would allow Pennsylvanians to receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits while earning wages for 20 hours of work. The welfare-to-work bill would accompany two proposals already introduced in the House:

• HB 1659, sponsored by Tobash, would prohibit the state Department of Human Services from waiving work requirements under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

• HB 1788, sponsored by state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre, would eliminate extended TANF benefits beyond five years, and would establish a cumulative 48-month lifetime limit.

Tobash stressed the need for cost-cutting in the wake of 2017’s bruising budget process, which saw months of delay in funding a spending plan approved by the General Assembly.

“After the budget experience my House colleagues and I just went through, I believe we need to work on bringing cost-saving measures to the forefront of our legislative priority list,” Tobash said.

TAX​ ​CREDITS

A bill that would prohibit the sale of state tax credits was referred on Jan. 2 to the House Finance Committee for consideration.

HB 1999, which was introduced in November by state Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-Allegheny, would disallow state tax credit recipients from selling their state tax credits.

“While tax credit programs are intended to stimulate the economy by encouraging businesses to locate or expand in Pennsylvania, some programs have veered from their intended purposes,” Ortitay said in a statement on the House Republican caucus website.

“There are tax credit programs where upward of 99 percent of the credits are sold and not used by the original recipient. It appears that these credits are being used simply as a funding mechanism, which distorts the state’s tax climate and ultimately hurts the economy. My legislation would help to refocus these programs back to their intended uses.” •

Michael Riccardi

Michael Riccardi has been a reporter and editor at ALM publications for more than 20 years. A graduate of Villanova University's law school, he lives in Philadelphia. He can be reached at mriccardi@alm.com.

Recommended Stories

In March 2013, plaintiff Rachel Jones, in her early 20s, began working as a trooper for the Pennsylvania State Police, in Trevose. In June, she and trooper Craig Acord started dating. They ended their relationship a year later.

A state senator is proposing a measure that he says will strengthen the Pennsylvania 529 Tuition Account Program by allowing only tax incentives through contributions to Pennsylvania-based 529 programs.

Featured Firms

Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone

2 Oliver St #608

Boston,
MA02109

857-444-6468

www.marksalomone.com

Gary Martin Hays & Associates
P.C.

235 Peachtree St NE #400

Atlanta,
GA30303

800-898-4297

www.garymartinhays.com

Smith & Hassler

225 N Loop W #525

Houston,
TX77008

(877) 777-1529

www.smithandhassler.com

Presented by BigVoodoo

More from ALM

Premium Subscription

With this subscription you will receive unlimited access to high quality, online, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry. This is perfect for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions or for attorneys that have fulfilled their CLE requirement but need to access resourceful information for their practice areas.

Team Accounts

Our Team Account subscription service are for legal teams of four or more attorneys. Each attorney is granted unlimited access to high quality, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry along with administrative access to easily manage CLE for the entire team.

Bundle Subscriptions

Gain access to some of the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys with our 2 bundle options! Our Compliance bundles are curated by CLE Counselors and include current legal topics and challenges within the industry. Our second option allows you to build your bundle and strategically select the content that pertains to your needs. Both option are priced the same.

From Data to Decisions

Exclusive Depth and Reach.

Legal Compass includes access to our exclusive industry reports, combining the unmatched expertise of our analyst team with ALM’s deep bench of proprietary information to provide insights that can’t be found anywhere else.

Big Pictures and Fine Details

Legal Compass delivers you the full scope of information, from the rankings of the Am Law 200 and NLJ 500 to intricate details and comparisons of firms’ financials, staffing, clients, news and events.

GALFAND BERGER LLP

ALM Legal Publication Newsletters

Sign Up Today and Never Miss Another Story.

As part of your digital membership, you can sign up for an unlimited number of a wide range of complimentary newsletters.
Visit your My Account page to make your selections. Get the timely legal news and critical analysis you cannot afford to miss.
Tailored just for you. In your inbox. Every day.